A Promise
by futureauthor13
Summary: Takes place between Pyramid of Light and the Dragons Arc. Mokuba said that Kaiba had promised to keep his deck and duel disk locked away until KaibaLand was built. Here's my take on how that promise might have happened. Brother fluff, no slash. Oneshot.


**I ended up watching Yu-Gi-Oh the Movie with my brother yesterday. I had never seen it before, but after watching four (now starting on five) seasons of the show, I wanted to. We both enjoyed watching it, and I even got inspired for this quick story. It's not much, but I still wanted to write it, so I hope you all enjoy.**

As soon as the two brothers returned home to their manor, Seto Kaiba was practically bombarded with questions from Roland and his other personal employees. He supposed he shouldn't be too annoyed with them, after all his duel arena had collapsed with cameras recording everything and he came home with a bandage on his arm.

Kaiba was a bit thankful it wasn't broken, a sprain would only last a week or two. A broken arm would've taken him out of work for at least a month.

Despite this, his medical staff gave him a quick look-over and gave him some pain killers to help before letting him leave. It was a good thing too, because Kaiba thought that if he heard one more person ask "Are you alright?", he was going to snap.

Not up for doing much of anything (a rare thing for him), Kaiba simply sat down on the couch in his home office. He kept an ice pack balanced on his bad arm, sitting quietly as the events of that day replayed over and over in his head. A scowl stayed present on his face, and it probably would've stayed there the rest of the night if it wasn't for a little visitor.

"Seto?" Kaiba looked over his shoulder, and saw Mokuba standing in the doorway. The boy was dressed in his usual pajamas - a plain colored tee shirt and shorts - and he looked at his older brother curiously.

"Do you need anything?" Kaiba asked him. Mokuba shook his head. The two were silent for a moment, Kaiba staring at his brother and Mokuba just standing there, looking at the floor. "You're allowed to come in here, you know." That made Mokuba smile a bit, and the boy walked inside the room, sitting down next to his brother.

"So, how's your arm?" Mokuba asked.

"I'll live," Kaiba replied, "What about you? You're not hiding any injuries, are you?" Kaiba had no idea the Pyramid of Light would be so destructive. At the time, he didn't care. He didn't even care that his brother could've been hurt, being so high up in the control room. There was a stab of guilt, and Mokuba must've noticed it too because he quickly offered his brother a smile.

"I'm fine, Seto," Mokuba told him. Kaiba gave a slight nod. Good. "So, that duel was pretty cool."

It was obvious Mokuba was just trying to make conversation. Both of them knew the duel was anything but 'cool'. Silence fell between them once again, but it didn't last long.

"Seto?" "What now?" The question itself wasn't nearly as harsh as the teenagers tone would lead people to believe. "Do you think, that this is the last time you'll duel Yugi?"

Mokuba looked at his hands. "I mean, if it wasn't for that one guy, what was his name? Anubis?" Kaiba nodded. "Yeah, if it wasn't for Anubis, you would've won. I know technically it didn't happen, but it pretty much did." Mokuba looked back up at his brother. "So...?"

"Honestly, I don't know Mokuba," Kaiba told him. Part of him wanted to duel Yugi one more time, and not just because he was so close to winning. There were so many questions he had, ones that made his blood boil.

When did this 'Anubis' brainwash him? How did he even get the chance to do so? Where his moves in today's duel his own, or just some wannabe villain's? One thing was for sure, Kaiba was going to be twice as observant and always be on his guard from now on. He was going to make sure no one was going to take over his mind. He was Seto Kaiba, stronger than anyone and master of his own mind. No one was going to control him like some puppet.

"Would you...?" Mokuba's new question caught Kaiba's attention, but it was quickly cut off. "Nevermind," Mokuba said quickly.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Mokuba, what were you going to say?" He wasn't using a threatening tone, just a stern one. The two brothers had always tried to be honest with each other, and Kaiba didn't want that to stop now.

His younger brother gave a small sigh. He looked a bit nervous. "Would you be mad if I said I hoped this was the last time you guys dueled each other?"

Kaiba was stunned. "Mokuba," his voice was slightly softer now, "why do you hope Yugi and I never duel again." Again, the boy stayed quiet, but one look from Kaiba coaxed him into explaining.

"Ever since Battle City ended, you haven't been acting like yourself," Mokuba started to say, "When we left, you said we would start working on KaibaLand, but since then we've only done a little work on it. Most of our teams have been working on strategies for you and trying to figure out how to beat Yugi's Egyptian Gods."

Mokuba bit his lip, but continued. "I, I haven't seen you act like that since before the first time Yugi beat you. And, and I hated seeing you that way again." Gathering up his courage, Mokuba looked at his stunned brother. "You said once that a strong rival can bring out the best in you, that Yugi brings out the best in you when it comes to dueling. But, I also think it brings out the worst in you, Seto.

"I want you to beat Yugi too, but not if it takes over your life. It's not just about the amusement park, it's about you not being yourself - not being happy anymore." Kaiba could see his younger brother's eyes start to get misty. "If you don't think about dueling Yugi anymore, maybe you would be able to concentrate on the stuff you really want to do, the stuff that would make you happy. That's why I'm hoping this was your last duel with Yugi."

For nearly a minute, Kaiba said nothing. He only thought about what his brother had said. His mind briefly flashed back to when he first started seriously thinking about duel monsters. It was a game he loved, a game of strategy and power - a game that could help you gain power.

But ever since Yugi had beaten him in their colluseum duel, part of him still couldn't move on. The game was no longer about strategy or power, but redemption. What was the point of having the most powerful cards and list of victories of a mile long if he still couldn't beat his rival and those damned Egyptian Gods?!

It was those thoughts along with his brother's words that made reality hit Kaiba like a ton of bricks: the game was taking over his life.

Was this how Anubis was able to take over his mind so easily?

"Seto?" He blinked. "You aren't mad, are you?"

Kaiba looked down at his brother, his face calm for the first time in ages. "No, I'm not mad, Mokuba... In fact, I think that was just what I needed to hear." Mokuba looked at him, confused.

Kaiba knew he would never abandon the game of duel monsters. It was a part of his company and a part of him, and the thrill of a duel would always be alluring. As much as he could say and speculate that if anyone could dethrone the King of Games, it was him, a part of him knew that he could never do it. He couldn't defeat the three Egyptian Gods, not without risking or giving up everything he cared about. His company, and more importantly, his brother.

He nearly lost the latter on numerous occasions, and it nearly happened again today. Kaiba couldn't let it happen again, he couldn't afford it.

"I think, perhaps for now, this is the last time I'll challenge Yugi," Kaiba stated. Mokuba's eyes widened, and a small smile appeared on his older brother's face. "We've wasted too much time, at this rate the first KaibaLand won't be up for two years."

Mokuba smiled. "Well, I don't think we have to worry too much. I know you work hard, and I'll work just as hard! I can even work through the night if I have to!"

"I agree with you on the first part since I know you're a hard worker, but you're too young to start pulling all nighters," Kaiba said, sounding a bit more like a parent, "remember, you still have school to go to."

"Yeah, I know," Mokuba said, sighing. His happiness still stayed though. "We're really gonna do it, aren't we Seto?"

Kaiba nodded. "A lot later than we should've, but yes Mokuba. We are." He looked his brother in the eyes. "Until it does happen, I'm going to make a promise to you."

"A promise?"

"Yes. I promise, to keep my duel disk and my deck locked away, and I won't take it out until the first KaibaLand is up and running. No duels, I won't even test out our new systems, I'll have someone else do it."

This definitely wasn't what Mokuba was expecting. "Do, do you really mean it?" he asked him.

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?" the boy grinned. Being careful of his brother's injury, Mokuba gave him a big hug. Everything seemed better now, back to the way it should be. 'Missed you, Big Brother,' Mokuba thought as he felt one of his brother's arms hug him back.

Sitting back on the couch, Mokuba still couldn't keep a smile off his face. "You know, despite all the crazy things that's happened today, I'm not really tired."

"Well, you should try," Kaiba told him, "It's past midnight."

"Or, maybe we could watch a movie," Mokuba suggested, "There's this one movie that I bought I think you would like. It's supposed to be really good."

"When did it come out?"

"... A few months ago."

Kaiba thought for a moment, and took out his cell phone. "I'll ask someone to bring us some popcorn," he said.

Mokuba grinned. "You're the best, Big Brother! I'll go get the movie!" With that, he quickly ran out of the room, making Kaiba chuckle a bit.

When was the last time they watched a movie together? Kaiba wasn't sure, but they were definitely overdue. About ten minutes after the movie started, Mokuba had snuggled up against his older brother and soon fell asleep. It didn't matter though, what mattered was that they were both together and happy.

As the dialogue of the movie faded into the background, Kaiba looked ahead to his future. It was like he had told Mokuba before, building an amusement park would be a lot of hard work. He knew to expect a lot of sleepless nights and obstacles. But, when they would finally see their dream come to life, it would be more than worth it.

Perhaps one day, Kaiba would challenge Yugi again. They were rivals, and if anyone was going to defeat Yugi Moto, it was him. Part of Kaiba was looking forward to it. That duel however, wouldn't be for a very long time. That was fine with him though, because when Seto Kaiba really thought about it, a duel against Yugi wasn't the most important thing in his life.

Besides, he had made a promise, and a Kaiba never breaks his promise.

**I know in the Dragons Arc Kaiba does duel again, but that was because his company was getting taken away from him. No KaibaCorp, No KaibaLand, he didn't have a choice. It's my own personal headcanon that once Dartz was taken care of and Kaiba had the company back, his deck and duel disc went right back into his safe until KaibaLand was built. I've only seen three episodes of the Memory Arc so I'm not sure how well this story fits into that, but I still hope you all enjoyed reading it. Thank you, and have a nice day. **


End file.
